REPORT TITLE:
Open Enrollment; Education


DESCRIPTION:
Requires the DOE to establish an enrollment options program to
enable pupils to attend schools in school districts other than
the one in which they reside, beginning with the 2000-2001 school
year.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                            916         
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                H.B. NO.           
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
________________________________________________________________
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO EDUCATION.
 


BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION 1.  The purpose of this Act is to improve
 
 2 educational achievement and enhance the opportunity for parental
 
 3 choice in education by providing additional options to pupils to
 
 4 enroll in public schools without regard to pupil residence.
 
 5      SECTION 2.  Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 6 amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated
 
 7 and to read as follows:
 
 8      "§302A-    Open enrollment.  (a)  The department shall
 
 9 establish an enrollment options program to enable pupils to
 
10 attend schools in school districts other than the ones in which
 
11 they reside, beginning with the 2000-2001 school year.
 
12      (b)  The parent of a pupil wishing to attend a school in a
 
13 nonresident school district shall submit an application to the
 
14 nonresident school.
 
15      (c)  The parent shall submit the application for a
 
16 particular school year at a time set and on a form provided by
 
17 the department.  The parent may request a particular school.
 
18      (d)  Upon agreement of the resident and nonresident schools,
 
19 the deadlines in subsection (c) may be waived.
 

 
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 1      (e)  The department shall adopt specific, written standards
 
 2 for the acceptance and rejection of applications under this
 
 3 section.  The standards may include consideration of the capacity
 
 4 of a program, class, grade level, or school building.  Subject to
 
 5 subsection (f), the standards may not include consideration of a
 
 6 pupil's previous academic achievement, physical condition,
 
 7 proficiency in the English language, sex, national origin, or
 
 8 race.
 
 9      (f)  In considering an application under this section, a
 
10 nonresident school may apply its usual requirements for admission
 
11 to a magnet school program or a program designed to serve gifted
 
12 and talented pupils.
 
13      (g)  Within sixty days of receiving an application under
 
14 subsection (b), a nonresident school shall notify the applicant
 
15 parent and the resident school in writing whether the application
 
16 has been accepted or rejected.  If an application is rejected,
 
17 the nonresident school shall state in the notification the
 
18 reasons for its rejection.
 
19      (h)  If requested by the parent of a pupil participating in
 
20 the enrollment options program, the department shall provide
 
21 suitable transportation between the pupil's residence and the
 
22 nonresident school attended by the pupil.
 
23      (i)  To enable a parent to make an informed decision about
 

 
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                                     H.B. NO.           
                                                        
                                                        


 1 enrollment options under this section, each school shall make
 
 2 available information about the school and its programs,
 
 3 policies, and procedures.  The department shall adopt rules
 
 4 regarding the information that a school must make available,
 
 5 including objective data on individual school achievement levels
 
 6 and, in the case of high schools, drop-out and graduation rates."
 
 7      SECTION 3.  Section 302A-1143, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 8 amended to read as follows:
 
 9      "[[]§302A-1143[]]  Attend school in what district.  All
 
10 persons of school age shall be required to attend the school of
 
11 the district in which they reside, [unless it appears to the
 
12 department to be desirable to allow the attendance of pupils at a
 
13 school in some other district, in which case the department may
 
14 grant this permission.] except as provided in section 302A-  ."
 
15      SECTION 4.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed.
 
16 New statutory material is underscored.
 
17      SECTION 5.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
 
18 
 
19                              INTRODUCED BY:______________________